I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 123 Immortality and Before the Law
In general, the genius of a writer like Dostoevsky is beyond doubt. Even if he encounters a period of low morale, as long as he calms down and focuses on creating for a period of time, his works are bound to be excellent.

However, after "Poor Folk," many of Dostoevsky's novels were experimental in nature. Although "Poor Folk" brought him great success, he was actually unwilling to continue writing on the same themes under the banner of "Naturalism."

Therefore, Dostoevsky originally had two works planned for Belinsky, both still in the naturalistic style, but in the end, they both succumbed to new inspiration. This was simply because the two planned naturalistic works were: "It's all just a repetition of what I've been saying all along."

Under normal circumstances, Belinsky and his friends in his circle might not have been unable to tolerate his attempts. However, Dostoevsky's pride and arrogance after becoming famous for "Poor Folk" did indeed attract a lot of hatred. In addition, in the original history, Dostoevsky began to seriously ask Krajewsky for advances of royalties for works that had not yet been created due to financial problems.

A little thought reveals that after Belinsky and others produced "The Contemporary," they naturally became competitors and enemies of "The Chronicle of the Fatherland." Under such circumstances, Dostoevsky's continued writing for "The Chronicle of the Fatherland" undoubtedly made him a traitor in the eyes of some, and in the end, the criticism of Dostoevsky's works grew louder and louder.

Now things are different. Mikhail and his team took over "The Modern Man" ahead of time, and with Mikhail deciding on the royalties paid to Dostoevsky, it is undoubtedly among the top tier of royalties that St. Petersburg writers can receive at the moment. Finally, with Mikhail around, Dostoevsky is now truly willing to offer his loyalty.

In short, he is now an important member of the "Modern Man" camp, so when he read his new work to the audience, even though the general public did not think that this still experimental new work could surpass Dostoevsky's previous work "Poor Folk," he certainly gave a good response and corresponding opinions.

As for Mikhail, being able to hear Dostoevsky's new novel in person was indeed quite exciting for him. After all, from another perspective, this could be seen as proof that history could be changed.

There was one downside: when the young Dostoevsky read his new works, he couldn't help but look at Mikhail, which forced Mikhail to put down his snacks and try to control his expression so as not to accidentally hurt the old Dostoevsky's sensitive heart.

After everyone finished discussing Dostoevsky's new work, someone brought up Mikhail's schooling:
"Mikhail, how are your studies at school? We were really surprised when we heard that you were going to continue your studies."

"Have you thought about your plans after graduation? If you aspire to a career in government, I happen to know some people at St. Petersburg Imperial University. If you associate with them, they will definitely give you a high evaluation when you graduate, which may be helpful for your future."

To be honest, even though everyone present had known about this news for quite some time, they still found it incredible when they actually talked about it. After all, who would have thought that an authority figure who was rapidly rising in the literary world hadn't even finished university?

It's worth noting that some of the Mikhail admirers here have sons who are almost as old as Mikhail himself.

It can only be said that Mikhail left such an incredible impression that they regarded him as an equal or even a superior person.

Regardless of the circumstances, Mikhail is indeed that person, so his friends are naturally happy to offer their perspectives on his future from the viewpoint of university students.

However, for Mikhail now, the career path of a normal university student doesn't seem to matter that much. The only thing that matters is his noble status. In fact, it seems that no one like Mikhail, a commoner, has ever achieved such a status in the cultural world before.

As a result, many people used this as a reason to despise the young man.

However, Mikhail didn't seem to care much about this, and some people saw his nonchalant attitude as proof of his nobility.

However, if Mikhail wants to marry a noblewoman, he may still have to work harder. Of course, besides the proper way, there are other options, such as commoner men who can obtain the status of "nobleman's son-in-law" by marrying a woman of hereditary nobility.

The principle is similar to how a nobleman who marries the daughter of a wealthy merchant can also gain certain privileges of the nobility. However, this situation often occurs in declining noble families and is easily looked down upon.

So, getting back to the main point, as a respectable figure in the cultural world today, Mikhail has indeed been able to leverage a lot of resources. Even if his friends don't mention it, Nadya has actually hinted at similar things in her letters. To this, Mikhail can only say, "I haven't even opened my mouth, and everyone's already handing me food!"
However, Mikhail hasn't decided on the specifics yet.

While others were discussing this matter, Belinsky was more focused on something else. Once the noise subsided slightly, Belinsky eagerly turned to Mikhail and asked:
"Mikhail, I remember you said before that your purpose for returning to university was related to a novel, right? How's that going? Have you made any plans yet?"

Mikhail: “?”

It's clear that although Mikhail had just published a new novel and review in a magazine, Belinsky was still thinking about the other articles Mikhail had mentioned before.

To be honest, these were the only things Belinsky remembered clearly. Mikhail distinctly remembered saying something like this to Belinsky:
“My dear Vesalion, how wonderful it would be if people could eat and sleep, and sleep and eat.”

"If I could, I would want money to fall from the sky while I lie still."

"My biggest wish is to be able to eat and sleep well forever and never die."

Belinsky seemed to completely disregard Mikhail's words.

Mikhail thought so, but Belinsky only pretended not to hear. When writing to close friends about Mikhail, he sometimes complained with a hint of helplessness:

"In fact, you can completely trust Mikhail in many things. His maturity often makes people forget his age. However, sometimes the things he says can also reveal his impetuousness as a young man. You see, sometimes he says the kind of things he says."
However, being hypocritical is sometimes a defining characteristic of Mikhail; he often does things he doesn't seem to want to do. Therefore, please forget about this gossip, and it would be best to burn this letter as well, otherwise our descendants will know that Mikhail also had a reckless side!

Although Belinsky specifically instructed him to do so to protect Mikhail's reputation, his friend, whether finding it amusing or simply forgetting, put the letter away. Whether he would read it again later was anyone's guess. Putting that aside for now, while Belinsky's urging was a bit too much, simply telling a short story was perfectly acceptable.

So Mikhail nodded and said, "For now, this is just a parable about law, but not entirely about law. More content will probably need to be written and improved as we go."

Ok?
Upon hearing that Mikhail might have a new work coming out, the people present were not only amazed by Mikhail's speed, but also couldn't help but discuss this allegory about law.

"About law? Is that why Mikhail went back to university to study?"

Is it an analysis of legal provisions? Or a story about a judge? Or simply a story about law students?

Hearing the others' comments, Belinsky seemed to have thought of something as well, and immediately shook his head and said:

"Gentlemen, the laws of Russia are not very good. Even setting aside the cruel serf system, I see no rationality in them. They serve our autocratic system entirely. As for most Russians, they have almost no awareness of the law. They are indifferent in their daily lives, and only think of upholding the law when they want to protect their rights or when they are harmed!"

But thinking about it carefully, how can we expect them to have sufficient awareness in a country like ours with such a strong tradition of authoritarianism? Besides, some people don't want them to have it, because that would allow them to quietly change many things, and quietly reinterpret certain things, even the most significant ones.

As he spoke, Belinsky concluded with a touch of sarcasm:
"If you ask me, the only advantage of Russian law is its honesty! It lays bare all injustice and cruelty in its legal provisions, without any concealment, which is far superior to some hypocritical European countries. Of course, even so, Russian law is still flexible enough. Although the legal provisions are already cruel enough, some people still want them to be lower, even lower."

It's much lower than what's required by the law; this is the norm in Russian society.

Mikhail: “.”

This is terrifying! I haven't even started reading this article yet, how did it fast-forward to this point?

Seeing that Belinsky seemed to be getting into it, Mikhail coughed lightly, indicating that he was about to begin.

Seeing this, Belinsky gradually calmed down and prepared to listen attentively to Mikhail's short parable about law.

Soon, Mikhail began to read:
"A guard stood before the gates of the law. One day, a countryman came and begged the guard to let him through. But the guard replied that he could not allow him to do so now. The countryman thought for a moment and then asked: Could he go in if he waited? 'Possibly,' the guard replied, 'but not now.'"

Since the gates of the law were always open, and the guards had stepped aside, the countryman bent down and peered inside. The guards noticed and laughed loudly, “If you really want to go in, feel free to try. Just ignore my prohibition. But remember: I’m very powerful. Besides, I’m only the lowest-ranking guard.”

From one hall to another, a guard stood before each door, each more formidable than the last. Take the one before the third hall, for example; even I dared not look him in the eye. The countryman hadn't expected to encounter so many difficulties; people say the gates of the law are open to everyone, anytime, he thought.

However, after carefully examining the guard in the leather coat, noticing his large, pointed nose and long, thick, black Tatar-like beard, he decided it would be better to wait until he was allowed to enter.

Ok?
The gate of law? What kind of description is that? Is law some kind of concrete thing? Why not just say it's a court or a government agency?
Then there's the question posed by the countryman in the article, which has now become a question for everyone: since the door of the law is always open and everyone can enter the legal system, why is the answer only "possible"?
Undoubtedly, this fable remains short and concise, and with just a few strokes, it has already aroused thought and speculation among the people present.

Even though everyone realized this might be an unusual story, what happened next still surprised them all:
The guard gave him a small stool and told him to sit by the gate. So he sat there day after day, year after year. He made many attempts to beg to be let in, which annoyed the guard. Every now and then, the guard would ask him some brief questions, about his hometown and many other things; however, these were the kinds of trivial questions asked by important people, and in the end the guard would still tell him that he could not be let in.

The country folk had prepared a lot of things for their journey here, but now they've spent it all; it's only right to spend as much as possible to please the guards. The man accepted everything, but said to him, "I accepted it only so that you wouldn't think I've been impolite."

For many years, the countryman had been almost constantly observing this guard. He had forgotten all the other guards; to him, this first guard seemed to be the only obstacle to entering the halls of justice. He cursed his bad luck; in his early years he had cursed loudly and without restraint, but in his old age, he could only mutter a few words to himself.

Many years later, what place would take so long to arrive?

Upon hearing this, the people present basically understood that Mikhail had once again used a writing style that seemed to have never been used before. This style was somewhat similar to Gogol's "The Overcoat," in which the protagonist becomes a ghost after death and plays tricks on people, seemingly absurd but actually satirical.

But Mikhail's writing style, besides seeming absurd, is also quite profound, as if it hides many social realities or even the essence of something in just a few paragraphs.

As Mikhail said before reciting it, this is an extremely short parable. The countryman, after waiting in vain, is about to die. And before he dies:
The guard had to kneel before him; the difference in their height had become a significant disadvantage for him. "Now that things have come to this, what else do you want to know?" the guard asked. "You're truly ungrateful." "Don't all people yearn for the law?" the countryman said, "yet in all these years, apart from me, no one else has come to ask to go in?"

The guard, seeing that the countryman was about to die, shouted at him so that his hearing, which was gradually failing, could hear clearly: "No one else may enter this door; it is set up for you. Now I must go and lock it."

When Mikhail finished reading his last sentence, no one spoke. They continued to think seriously, filled with a mixture of confusion and a hint of understanding, while also waiting for others' opinions.

(End of this chapter)